Tutankhamun’s funerary mask back on display

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Tutankhamun’s Gold Mask Returns to Public View | After the correction of a botched repair job on the boy Pharaoh’s beard, Tutankhamun’s gold funerary mask has gone back on display at Cairo’s Egyptian Museum. When the mask was removed from its display case in 2014, its beard became detached, and museum employees tried to repair it with glue. It has taken a complicated process, conducted by a team of German experts, to correct the damage. Let’s hope it’s the last of King Tut’s woes.

New Tokyo Olympic Stadium Proposals Revealed | After the Japanese Government’s controversial decision to annul Zaha Hadid’s commission for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic stadium, two new proposals for the prospective building have been revealed. According to the Guardian, the timber-heavy designs – at this point known only as ‘Design A’ and ‘Design B’ – are believed to be the work of architects Kengo Kuma and Toyo Ito. Hadid’s downfall was reportedly the result of spiralling costs. Will her successor(s) be able to keep the books balanced?

Madrid’s Royal Collections Bury the Hatchet | After a lengthy dispute, the Museo del Prado has come to an agreement with Spain’s National Heritage Office over four Old Master paintings that originally belonged to the Royal Collection, but were transferred to the Prado during the Civil War. The National Heritage Office has now abandoned a bid to transfer the works in question – Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights and The Table of Mortal Sins, Tintoretto’s The Foot Washing, and Rogier van der Weyden’s Descent from the Cross – to a new museum that will, when it’s complete, house paintings from the Royal Collection. Instead, they will remain on display at the Prado.

Beverly Hills Antiquities Dealer Jailed | Antiquities dealer Jonathan Markell has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for his role in a smuggling and tax evasion scheme, reports The Art Newspaper. Along with his wife Cari, (who has also been sentenced to probation and fined), Markell was found guilty of making false declarations while importing artefacts from South East Asia, and donating looted antiquities to museums in exchange for significant tax advantages. The couple have been ordered to pay $25,000, which will go towards the costs of returning the works to their rightful owners.

National Gallery Acquires Laurits Andersen Ring Painting | Although Laurits Andersen Ring (1854-1933) is celebrated in his native Denmark, his work is little known in the UK. All this might be about to change, however, as the National Gallery announces the acquisition of Ring’s Road in the Village of Baldersbrønde (Winter Day) – the first painting by the artist ever to enter the UK National Collection. Oddly, the work in question – painted for a 1912 touring exhibition – has never actually been seen in Denmark before.

Museum of Tomorrow Opens in Rio | After a delayed development costing some £40 million, the Museu do Amanhã, or Museum of Tomorrow, is finally set to open in Rio de Janeiro’s once impoverished port district. The Calatrava-designed museum is intended to ask big questions about the sustainability, the human race and its continued survival on earth. It is also a major political project for Rio, a statement piece of urban renewal. Whether it succeeds in sparking a ‘Bilbao effect’, well – we can only look to the future…

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